See Awesome Australia

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Jack Marinchek

Sun City Center, Fl. 33573

813-634-1676

Australia

It is the sixth largest country in the world - more or less the same size as mainland USA. This vast land however also has the lowest population density in the world, with only two people per square kilometre.

It is politically divided into six states and two territories, each one offering a different experience for the traveller. There is the drama of the remote 'Outback', the colourful spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef and its coral islands, the excitement of the cosmopolitan cities, the sun and surf at some of the best beaches in the world, and the tropical rainforests of Western Australia.

The list is endless in this diverse land of adventure, which boasts 2,000 national parks and 14 World Heritage-listed areas, along with more than 7,000 beaches.

It is a land of character too, with its melting pot of cultures. For more than 50,000 years the Aboriginal people lived and thrived in the continent's unique environment.

It is believed the Aboriginals are the world's oldest civilization, and in recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in keeping the Aboriginal culture alive and flourishing.

The vast continent at the bottom of the world was the last landmass to be discovered by European explorers. Captain James Cook arrived in Botany Bay in 1770 and sparked off generations of emigration, which for some time served as a penal colony.

It was not until 1860 that two explorers - Robert Burke and William Wills - became the first Europeans to cross it from south to north. The country remains a magnet for modern explorers and adventurers and has a great deal to offer tourists and holidaymakers.

New South Wales

New South Wales, which contains Australia's oldest and most vibrant major city, Sydney, is the country's premier state. It has the highest population, attracts the most visitors and has a range of experiences to offer the tourist that is unrivalled by most countries, let alone states, in the world.

Breathtaking beaches and coastlines, World Heritage National Parks, a taste of the real Australian outback, snow-capped mountains, lush farming country, Aboriginal culture and dazzling city lights - all are on offer in New South Wales.

The state was named by Captain James Cook when he first stepped ashore in Australia at what is now Sydney Harbour and claimed the country for the British in 1770. The epicentre of New South Wales is the huge, sunny, sexy and sophisticated city of Sydney, characterised by its white-sailed Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

Beyond the slick city life though, New South Wales also offers the chance to escape to the Snowy or Blue Mountains, drive through the rolling wine farm country of the Hunter Valley, enjoy get-aways to the historic villages of the southern highlands or indulge in whale-watching, surfing and swimming at free-spirited coastal villages and towns.